College Events

To Do: Getting Started

When you have the idea for an event, get approvals from your department before you book space or extend any invitations to speakers or guests.

Familiarize yourself with the policies related to events:

Good to Know: What costs money at TC?

• Catering
  
• Media Services
• Public Safety (not all events) 
• Supplies
• Facilities (outside typical business hours including weekends)

Good to Know: Staff Plans

Due to the size and composition of TC's campus, it is often the case that events require a significant amount of staff for the following:

• Registration
• Greeting
• Directing guests & speakers to various rooms
• Timekeeping
• & More

It's important to determine if you have enough staff to support your event before you decide to move forward. Here are sample Staff Plans to get you started on thinking through your staffing needs. 

To Do: Space Booking

• Use 25Live to book your rooms for internal events
• TC Dining Hall: is used as one of CU Dining's official food service locations for students who take part in a meal plan. As a result, the Dining Hall is in use daily and has limited windows for events bookings. Please contact DeWayne White to request permission to book the TC Dining Hall. kdw10@tc.columbia.edu
• Library Rooms: Book rooms in the Library through LibCal
• Smith Learning Theater: Book space by completing this request form
• The Tudor Room (GDH271) & RUS104B send an email with the request: date, time, and description of the event to library@tc.columbia.edu. Here are the recommended guidelines for the Tudor Room.
• Russell Upper Courtyard: is reservable in 25Live via Room Assignments. The Upper Courtyard is available to be used for events Monday to Thursday between the hours of 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm and on Friday, Saturday & Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Good to Know

• TC is very busy in the spring semester and during the summer
• Classrooms typically not approved until after the add/drop period
• Pick more than 1 date if you can’t get rooms you need
• Book rooms ASAP
• Book rooms for furniture storage (set-up dependent)
• Be sure you have enough time to set up your space

To Do: Design & Promotion 

• Request design and/or marketing support for your event from TC Gen
• Request access to alumni mailing lists
• Include event accommodation language on your invitation and registration form.

To Do: Ordering Catering 

Columbia Dining is the College's exclusive caterer with on-site staff to providing both drop-off service and full-scale events. 

To Do: Make an Accessibility Plan 

• Make an Accessibility Plan Visit the OASID webpage to learn more about steps to take to ensure your event is accessible to all

To Do: Order Supplies

Now is the time to make sure you have all the supplies you need to make your event a success.

• Give aways             
• Name tags                  
• Name plates                    
• Where to buy supplies
• Where to borrow supplies

To Do: Send Briefings

To Do: Facilities Work Orders

• Submit a Work Order at least (14) business days before your event. 

Good to Know

• Room set up samples 
• Classroom furniture cannot be removed
• Facilities contact
• Glenford Thomas  | Custodial & Housekeeping Supervisor
• gdt4@tc.columbia.edu; cc facilities@tc.columbia.edu
• Office: (212) 678-8345

To Do: Media Services Request

• Submit a media reservation at least (14) business days before your event to secure equipment and staffing

Good to Know

• TCIT Event Services Information
• Rudy Caba | Event Technology Specialist
• caba@tc.columbia.edu; cc mediaservices@tc.columbia.edu
• Office: (212) 678-6620

To Do: Public Safety Request

• Please submit your event requests 14 days in advance.
• Public Safety contact
• Yeremy Chavez | Director of Public Safety Administration and Systems
• yc2109@tc.columbia.edu; cc publicsafety@tc.columbia.edu
• Office: (212) 678-3335
• If you are hosting an event with external guests, be sure to submit your full list to Public Safety 72 hours prior to your event start time.

To Do: Pack Your Supplies

• Pack everything you need the day before to reduce the time spent running back to the office for forgotten supplies.  
• If you are using multiple spaces, pack by space.
• Here are some sample supply lists to get you started. 

To Do: After the Event

• Final budget, pay all bills
• Write up debriefing notes to help in next year’s planning (samples)
• Send thank you email to volunteers & staff
• Send thank you letter to speakers